The juçara countermovement in Brazil: agroecology and the (en)countering of commodification

This model disembeds foods from their social and ecological contexts, resulting in exploitation. Drawing on an empirical case study using ethnographic and reflexive methods, we examine small-scale enterprises in Brazil that produce and commercialize juçara, a fruit from a palm species ecologically vital to the Atlantic Forest.

Once endangered due to the commodification of heart of palm (<i>palmito</i>), juçara fruit is being commercialized through agroecological principles. We argue that this is contributing to the palm’s ecological resurgence in the forest and as a cultural symbol. We explore the multiple social and ecological dimensions of juçara, emphasizing how they could be eroded by commodification.